Carloading box spacers

ABSTRACT

The invention provides a new spacer component and spacer assembly for use in the stabilization of carload boxes during transit, the assembly comprising an elongated spacer member carrying at one or each of its ends a molded plastic attachment having a body portion extending normal to the spacer and held thereto at one side, and having web means projecting from the opposite side of the body for reception between loaded boxes.

United States Patent lnventor Harold C. Pierce 1527 Ganesha Place, Pomona, Calif. 91767 Appl. No. 721,257 Filed Apr. 15, 1968 Patented May 25, 1971 CARLOADING BOX SPACERS 10 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

Int. Cl B61d 45/00 Field of Search 105/367,

369 (B), 369 (S), 369; 248/351, 357, 358 (A); 211/126; 206/7 (A), 51, (1nquired)',214/10.5

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/1969 Latter 717,316 12/1902 Avery 105/369(B) 2,224,432 12/1940 Hoak 105/367 2,419,754 4/1947 Adams 105/369(S) 2,475,719 7/1949 Pierce 105/369(8) 2,894,461 7/1959 Nagler 105/367 2,993,708 7/1961 Holman,Jr. 105/369(B) 3,091,348 5/1963 Neuhauser 214/105 Primary ExaminerDrayton E. Hoffman Att0rney-White and Haefliger ABSTRACT: The invention provides a new spacer component and spacer assembly for use in the stabilization of carload boxes during transit, the assembly comprising an elongated spacer member carrying at one or each of its ends a molded plastic attachment having a body portion extending normal to the spacer and held thereto at one side, and having web means projecting from the opposite side of the body for reception between loaded boxes.

CARLOADING BOX SPACERS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION concerned have been terminally shouldered for retained reception between adjacent boxes and to bear against them, and being made of wooden block or strip components, have been undesirably bulky, heavy and expensive to make, these factors being of particular consequence since the spacers are not reused after the load transit.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides such spacers of significantly less bulk, weight and expense by the use of plastic-webbed 'Spacer terminals that can be quantity molded at low cost and applied to any elongated rigid spacers which-also may entail little cost, as for example by using what otherwise might be scrap lumber.

In its preferred form the plastic terminal component is molded as a one-piece structure comprising what may be termed a planar body portion adapted to bedisposed normal to the spacer and having at one side means for attachment to the spacer and having at its opposite side at least one and most usually a pair of right-angular webs for reception between the boxes.

It is found particularly convenient to form the attachment means as an integrally molded socket to receive the spacer end, the socket for reception of a rectangular (or square) wooden piece being of corresponding shape.

The invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment shown by the accompanying drawing, in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a view illustrating essentially diagrammatically a typical box produce load employing the present spacers;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary plan taken at the central load spacing and showing successive spacers;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged side elevation of the spacer assembly;

FIG. 4 is an outside elevation of the spacer terminal as viewed from line 4-4 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is an inside elevation as viewed from line 5-5 of FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The invention contemplates the use of the present spacer for maintaining separation of boxes in any of various carloadstacked arrangements, it being understood therefore that the FIG. 1 showing is illustrative only although in general keeping with a presently used form of load suitable for accommodation of the spacers. In FIG. 1 the freight car body is shown to contain stacked vertical rows of boxes 11 and 12 aligned transversely of the car, the boxes illustratively being melon packs bulging top and bottom and stacked on their bulged sides. Lacking dimensional correspondence with the car width, the vertical rows are spaced at 13 centrally of the car, and one or both of the outermost rows may or may not be spaced as at 14 from the car sidewalls as by conventional means typified by the spacers 15.

The invention is concerned primarily with the maintenance of the box spacing at 13 and between the uppermost pairs of boxes in each row, the weights of which ordinarily will be sufficient to hold in place the lowermost boxes, although the spacers may be distributed vertically if for any reason desired.

Referring to FIGS. 3w 5 the spacer proper may consist of any elongated rigid member 16 formed or cut to length in accordance with a predetermined spacing to be maintainedat I3. Where what otherwise might be scrap lumber is available, it is economical to cut the spacers 16 from wooden strips of square or rectangular cross section.

Each spacer terminal 17 is shown to be of unitary form molded of a suitable plastic composition which is essentially rigid and of sufficient strength to be adequately resistant to breakage or excessive deformation under installed load conditions. Each terminal 17 comprises what may be termed a planar square or rectangular body portion 18 having at one side means 19 for attachment to or retention by the spacer 16. Such means preferably comprises an integrally molded socket 20 which receives the spacer end and which permits easy application of the terminal to the spacer. Support may be given the body portion 18 by molded ribs 21 extending between the socket and body corners.

Molded to the opposite face of the body are web means generally indicated at 22 and comprising a vertical web 23 extending normal 'to and centrally from the .body 18, and a lateral web 24 extending also normal to the body and at a right angle centrally from the web 23. I

In the operation of loading the car, after one transverse se ries of the stacks 11 and 12'have been trucked into and positioned in the car as illustrated, one of the spacer assemblies may be inserted between'the uppermost and next lower. pairs of adjacent boxes by thrusting the webs 24 between the top and bottom box faces as shown in FIG. 1, with the terminal bodies engaged against the end faces of the boxes to hold them against coming together. The accommodation of the webs 24 between the boxes retains the inserted spacer assemblies vertically so that the next stacked box series may be loaded against the exposed webs 23. The latter then becoming confined between the boxes, prevent shifting of the spacer horizontally remaining vertically retained by the webs 24.

If desired in any load situation, the spacers may be used to maintain load clearance at 14 as by the employment of a single terminal 17 inserted between the boxes in the manner described, leaving the wooden piece 16 to bear against the car sidewall.

I claim:

1. A spacer component for insertion between carload boxes, comprising a molded plastic unit having an essentially planar body positionable at the end of an elongated spacer to extend normal thereto, means forming a socket extension of said body for attaching one side of said body to a spacer end, and web means projecting from and normal to the opposite side of the body in alignment with said socket and adapted to be received between adjacent boxes, said web means comprising a first web extending centrally across the body in centered alignment with said socket and a second web extending at a right angle from the center of the first web.

2. A spacer component according to claim 1, in which said web means comprises a first web extending centrally across the body and a second web extending at a right angle from the center of the first web.

3. A spacer component according to claim 2, in which said socket is centrally aligned with said first web.

4. A spacer component according to claim 3, in which said socket is rectangular and said body extends across and closes the inner end of the socket.

5. The combination of a spacer component according to claim 1 and an elongated spacer received in said socket exten-. sion to terminally carry said component.

6. The combination of claim 5, in which a pair of said com ponents are carried by the ends of the spacer.

7. The combination of claim 5, in which said spacer is wood.

8. The combination of claim I, in which said. socket is of lesser dimension than said body and including also rib means extending from the socket outwardly to thebody in supporting relation.

10. The combination of claim 9, in which a pair of said components of the same configuration and orientation relative to the spacer are carried by its ends. 

1. A spacer component for insertion between carload boxes, comprising a molded plastic unit having an essentially planar body positionable at the end of an elongated spacer to extend normal thereto, means forming a socket extension of said body for attaching one side of said body to a spacer end, and web means projecting from and normal to the opposite side of the body in alignment with said socket and adapted to be received between adjacent boxes, said web means comprising a first web extending centrally across the body in centered alignment with said socket and a second web extending at a right angle from the center of the first web.
 2. A spacer component according to claim 1, in which said web means comprises a first web extending centrally across the body and a second web extending at a right angle from the center of the first web.
 3. A spacer component according to claim 2, In which said socket is centrally aligned with said first web.
 4. A spacer component according to claim 3, in which said socket is rectangular and said body extends across and closes the inner end of the socket.
 5. The combination of a spacer component according to claim 1 and an elongated spacer received in said socket extension to terminally carry said component.
 6. The combination of claim 5, in which a pair of said components are carried by the ends of the spacer.
 7. The combination of claim 5, in which said spacer is wood.
 8. The combination of claim 1, in which said socket is of lesser dimension than said body and including also rib means extending from the socket outwardly to the body in supporting relation.
 9. The combination of claim 8, in which said spacer is a wooden piece of rectangular cross section abutting against said body and the socket is correspondingly rectangular and centrally aligned with said first web.
 10. The combination of claim 9, in which a pair of said components of the same configuration and orientation relative to the spacer are carried by its ends. 